hey, stranger
by czqy
Summary: "Hey you called this number at like 3AM and we talked about some pretty heavy shit do you remember any of that?" High School AU. Lance calls random numbers one night and the one successful one happens to be Keith's. Soon, texting a stranger becomes part of their daily routines.
1. the late night call

**hello! I was looking up prompts and saw this one and thought, why not write a Klance fic on it? this is my first VLD fic, so I apologise if the characters are a bit OOC. I *should've* planned everything out so that there are no plot holes, but if it happens I'll deal with it then; I was too impatient and couldn't wait to post the first chapter lol.**

 **unfortunately, while planning I couldn't fit Allura in anywhere so this fic won't feature her, sorry!**

 ****this chapter has thoughts of feeling insignificant and implied suicidal thoughts****

* * *

At the ungodly hour of three in the morning Keith was on his phone scrolling aimlessly across various social media platforms. It wasn't unusual, and he had long accepted it as the norm - staying up either to work on pieces of art or simply because he couldn't fall asleep. Or didn't want to, he couldn't tell. Either way, the point was that he was used to the quiet of the small hours, and definitely not his phone vibrating, causing more noise than he thought possible.

The call was from an unfamiliar number, but definitely one from his region. Having nothing else to do and feeling adventurous, Keith answered the call.

"Hello?" Keith cringed at the sound of his voice. He hadn't spoken aloud in five hours, after all.

"Holy quiznak! I can't believed it actually worked!" The voice was unexpectedly loud and Keith held his phone away from his ear before turning the volume down. The caller also sounded young, which relaxed Keith a bit, at least it wasn't some creep. Now, the only other real question he had was why, but first -

"What worked?"

"Your number. Or well, I put in random digits that just happened to be your number." Keith couldn't suppress a groan. Of course he would be the one to randomly receive a call from a stranger.

"Oh," the caller sounded hesitant, "I woke you didn't I?"

"Nah, nah, it's okay. I was doing art and couldn't get to sleep, you're lucky you got my number and instead of someone actually asleep, imagine how angry they'd be." There was a pause, like neither of them knew what to do, or to say. Keith decided to take the next step forwards. "Um, what's up? I've never had a stranger call me at 3AM before."

"Well I've never called anyone at 3AM before," came the sheepish reply.

"You're joking."

"Not at all, actually."

Keith saw his chance to ask the burning question, and he took it. "Then why now?"

"I felt lonely." The caller's emotion dropped and Keith couldn't help but feel empathetic.

"Oh?" Keith wanted to help, even though he wasn't really benefitting from this, at least he could feel good about making someone else feel better.

"Yeah, it's just- the whole universe, it's so big, you know? Are we- do we even mean anything? The milky way is one of at least a hundred billion galaxies, our solar system is this tiny section of the milky way, and our Earth is merely a spec in our solar system. So what does that make us? We are like a single grain of sand on Earth, and so what does that make us compared to the entire universe?" Keith could hear the stranger take in a deep breath, and hoped they wouldn't start crying on him.

"Whoa, hey there buddy, you alright?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get so deep."

"Don't apologise, it's fine-"

"Sorry."

"I just said-"

"Oh shit, sorry - fuck! Sor-" Stranger, as Keith had dubbed them, chuckled, and it was a warm, melodic noise to Keith's ears.

"ANYWAYS, it's okay, I get you, I think about that a lot too." Keith wasn't lying, staying up often meant he was alone with only his thoughts for company, and it was the one time he let his mind wander unrestricted. Keith wouldn't be lying either if he had said that he was kept up occasionally by these kinds of daunting thoughts, he tried keeping them in the back of his mind as he felt uneasy thinking about such things, but it was hard in the darkness.

"You do? Glad I'm not the only one. On a lighter note, do you wanna know how I make myself feel better? It may help you." Stranger sounded happier, and it brought a small smile to Keith's lips.

"Sure, I'm all ears."

"I just start thinking about all the people I have in my life. Maybe I don't mean anything to the galaxies or even the world, but I mean something to them at least, right? And even if I'm not their world I do feature in their life book, if you think of it that way. I'm not popular at school but that doesn't matter, I have two best friends whom I wouldn't trade for all the popularity in the world. And my family, sure they get on my nerves more often than not but I still love them endlessly. The point, I guess, is that I just try to appreciate what I have, and it may be cliché but it works."

"Hm… Yeah, won't work for me." Keith knew he was being unfair, Stranger knew nothing about him, but he couldn't help being just a bit mysterious.

"Why not? You haven't even tried it yet!" Keith could tell Stranger was getting annoyed, and knew it was time to explain before his little act backfired in his face.

"I don't need to, I don't have a family." It was a lie, and Keith knew it was, but damn he loved being melodramatic.

"But you still- wait, what?" Here it comes, the full explanation. Having to tell the tale so many times Keith couldn't help but do it monotonically, indifferently even.

"Yeah, I lost my parents when I was six, and was adopted less than half a year later - officially, anyway, I started living with my adoptive family the day my parents died. Don't get me wrong, I love my adoptive family but it's not the same as my biological family you know? And it wasn't like I was so young that I couldn't remember them, I still do. I remember how my parents would laugh and dance around the house on a lazy Sunday, teach me how to paint, and kiss my injuries whenever I hurt myself. Maybe I didn't know them for that long but it doesn't mean I can't miss them. And it hurts, I'm not going to lie. I wouldn't trade my adoptive family for the world but sometimes I can't help but think of what it would have been like if my parents hadn't died, and maybe somehow I could join them to start making up for all the lost time. So yeah, I know I mean something to someone, but that someone could've been my mum or my dad and it's not." Wow, Keith was not expecting that to turn so intense; towards the end he did show emotion and his tone did change and he was tearing up but there were no takebacks now.

However, that didn't mean he couldn't regret it. Stranger hadn't responded and Keith was afraid he had frightened them off, yet the call hadn't been disconnected.

"Hello?" Keith tried his luck one more time but to no avail, he wasn't going to get a response. "Oh, bye."

Almost disappointedly, Keith hung up the phone.

* * *

 **depending on how efficient I am, this could well be finished within two weeks, I'm on school holidays right now and have nothing to do :)**

 **so, what do you think? let me know by leaving a review!**


	2. the aftermath

Lance woke up feeling as refreshed as anyone who only slept three hours could be. He always vowed to try sleep earlier, but learnt that it was quite difficult when an electronic device was nearby. He also had a weird dream, one in which he was dialling random numbers in hopes someone would pick up and talk to him. Someone did, and Lance remembered thinking how _God, that voice is hot_. He remembered how he started rambling about space and feeling insignificant, how he shared his method of feeling better to the stranger and how they had shut him down, only to explain their life story and then - Lance fell asleep. But… wasn't he already asleep? Could you even fall asleep in a dream? Lance was beginning to think perhaps it hadn't been a dream after all.

* * *

Keith wasn't doing much better than he was when he hung up the phone. He kept pondering over why Stranger stopped responding. The most plausible reason, of course, was simply that they had fallen asleep, but Keith, being the pessimist he was, couldn't stop wondering if it was because of what he said. Maybe they were pretending to be asleep so Keith could hang up first and save them the awkwardness. Keith knew he wasn't great with human interaction, when he was younger Shiro had called them "people problems", but he had taught him how to get better. "Staying away from the topic of your parents is a good thing," Shiro had told him after he scared away the umpteenth potential friend, "I'm not telling you to forget about them - don't - but you get dark when you talk about them. You get angry, and people are going to be afraid of you if you're angry all the time, okay?" Ever since that little lesson Keith avoided talking about his past with anyone but authorial figures, until Stranger. He thought it was okay, it seemed to relate to the general atmosphere of their conversation, so why was he left hanging?

"Oi Keith, you okay? You don't look so well." Keith was snapped out of his daze by Shiro. Shiro was every bit of a person Keith aspired to be, loyal; compassionate; smart; kind, and brave. He was a natural born leader and despite his popularity, he stayed as humble as ever. Keith appreciated how much Shiro did for him and unfortunately didn't tell him often enough.

"Yeah, I'm all good. Just thinking, you leaving already?" Shiro, in his final year of secondary education, unsurprisingly held many of the leadership roles available at his school. As a result, quite often he had to either get there early or stay back late.

Shiro hummed in confirmation, "Matt needs some help with his project so I thought I'd drop by and take a look." The Shirogane's and Holt's were basically family friends, Matt and Shiro had been best friends since childhood and they hung out so often the two families were familiar with one another. Matt had a sibling, Pidge, who was only a year younger than Keith so it wasn't awkward during gatherings, although they were so insanely smart it was like they were the same age, or even older.

Keith turned back to his meal as Shiro headed towards the door but looked up again when he spoke. "Oh, and Keith? If something is bothering you, take action, yeah? It isn't worth getting all worked up over it." How Shiro was able to read him so easily, he'll never know but he did know he was going to take his advice.

Once he mustered up the courage to do so.

* * *

Hunk, Pidge and Lance were sitting around a table in engineering faculty. The two former students were working on individual projects and Lance, being out of his element, was fiddling with some leftover foam scraps. After the dramatic reenactment of his "crisis", Lance took a few deep breaths, needing a break, and… was disappointed to find that the only reactions he got from his friends were bored glances.

"Seriously, guys? Nothing? I'm distraught over here!" Lance waved his hands in front of his friends' faces, trying to get their attention. Hunk kept working on whatever gadget he was working on but Pidge spared him a reply, albeit not looking up once.

"Check you call history, dumbass. If you really did call someone, it'd show up there." Although this situation moreso represented Lance's lack of common sense rather than Pidge's ingenuity, it was one of those moment where Lance wondered how he ended up with a genius as a best friend. Pidge was a year younger than Hunk and Lance, but since they were so advanced in mechanical and electrical engineering, they got permission to take the systems engineering class a year earlier. It was the only class they shared with Hunk, however the two had met years prior after spending endless amounts of lunchtimes in the faculty. Lance joined Hunk one time, met Pidge, and the trio had been close-knit ever since.

Lance pulled out his phone, checked the call history, and there it was - his evidence. The name _"art kid"_ was at the top of his list and next to it the timestamp read "3:04 AM". _Huh._ Now, the only problem was that "the person is saved under _"art kid"_ and I don't know if it's someone I actually know or the stranger."

This time, Hunk replied, "I told you it was never a good idea to save people under a nickname." Lance huffed. _It is a good idea, you just don't like it_ , Lance didn't bother voicing his thought aloud, knowing it wouldn't get him anywhere. And it wasn't like _every_ contact in his phone was saved under a nickname, only the ones he needed defining features to remember. There was a guy in his level who sold donuts, so he was saved as _"donut guy",_ and Lance didn't think anyone even knew his real name. _"Science chick"_ was one of the few people who wouldn't get pissed no matter how many questions Lance had for her.

"Hey, maybe it's Shiro," Pidge nudged Lance with a playful smile and directed his gaze to where Shiro stood with their brother. Lance let out a content sigh, his admiration for Shiro wasn't unknown, quite often he was found visibly gawking over him. One of the more recent incidents happened during the senior school assembly; Shiro was being praised for one of his achievements and Lance, unable to hold back, shot up, _whooped_ , and threw his fists in the air. He quickly sank back down in embarrassment as the other students laughed, but hey, Shiro laughed too, albeit awkwardly - his face had turned red and he was rubbing the back of his neck.

"Puh-lease, if it was Shiro I don't think I'd be functioning right now. In fact, if I had somehow gotten his number I probably wouldn't function for _days_." Pidge, of course, knew that already, they just took pleasure in teasing Lance. Since Pidge's brother Matt was so close to Shiro, he was basically their brother as well, so they always found it absolutely hilarious when people thought he, the boy who used to put on wigs and sing in a high-pitched voice to pop songs, was so god-like and perfect.

"You could just ask them, it'll solve your problem and you'll stop pestering us." Lance hit Pidge's arm and glared at Hunk for snickering, yet he knew his friends were right. If he didn't do anything, it was bound to drive him insane.

But! He still had a few days, right?

* * *

Days had passed and Keith still hadn't texted Stranger. To be fair, he thought that maybe they'd text him first, but obviously, it hadn't happened. In the spur of the moment Keith had opened up his text log and typed out a message but made the mistake of rereading it, as he was now pacing around his room, phone forgotten on his bed.

How was Stranger going to react? It was a one-off thing, wasn't it? What if they ignored his message like they ignored his heartfelt prose?

 _You know what? Fuck it. I'll send the message, forget about it and go to school. If they reply, then great, if not, whatever. I tried._ Keith was being optimistic and he knew it, he knew that if they didn't reply he would feel embarrassed and would continue to try and erase the memory from his mind for the rest of his days. Still, he did have to try, and he finally sent the message as he left for school.

 **[7:38am]**

 **To Stranger: Hey, idk if you remember but you, ugh, called me a few days ago? At like three in the morning? I was just wondering, did I scare you with my whole life story thing? I'm sorry if I did. I didn't mean to.**

 **I realise it was probably meant to be a one-time thing so maybe I shouldn't be messaging you but I just can't stop fretting over it, sorry.**

To Keith's surprise, he got a reply within minutes.

 **[7:40am]**

 **From Stranger: who's apologising now?**

 **just kidding ;)**

 **well, even though I can't remember everything u said, I know that u definitely didn't scare me. I - ugh, how to put this lightly?**

 **I fell asleep. that's why I just left. god, I fucked up, didn't I? shit, I should've told u I was sleepy so u had some warning - idk, ur voice was just so soothing and it was so late/early I just crashed**

Keith tilted his head back, groaned and facepalmed himself. _You're joking me._ All this time, he had been freaking out over his shitty social skills when Stranger had literally just fallen asleep. He wasn't blaming them, not at all, but it was just - he had been _losing sleep_ over this situation and the reason for it turned out to be so straightforward.

 **[7:46am]**

 **To Stranger: You were that tired, huh? What were you doing at up at three anyways?**

 **[7:47am]**

 **From Stranger: school. specifically, physics**

 **[7:47am]**

 **To Stranger: Is that also what brought on the philosophical thoughts?**

 **[7:49am]**

 **From Stranger: oh yeah. and the thing is, the work I was doing wasn't even related to space! like, how do u even get there?**

Keith laughed, he genuinely laughed, which, okay yeah, turned a few heads and he cringed but hey, Stranger was funny.

 **[7:50am]**

 **To Stranger: Procrastination, my friend, that's how.**

 **Anyways, class starts soon so I gotta go, see you!**

Keith was glad he messaged Stranger, it wasn't a disaster at all, in fact, he was sure the stupid smile currently plastered on his face would remain there all day.

* * *

 **[7:50am]**

 **To art kid: hmm… speaking of friend, do u think we could like become that? feel free to say no ofc, I don't wanna force u into something u don't want**

 **oh okay cool, bye!**

"Shit. Hunk, I did something bad." Hunk rolled his eyes and Lance wondered what he did to deserve such attitude from his friends.

"What now?" Lance proceeded to show Hunk his conversation with Art Kid, biting his nails in anticipation.

"Oh Lance," Hunk put an arm over his worried friend, "you're _fine_. They were the one to start conversing with you, weren't they? Now all you gotta do is wait, and it doesn't sound like they're gonna reject you anyways - don't sweat it. We should head to class too, we have an important day up ahead." Lance sighed, _ah… the joyous final years of high school - endless tests and constant assignments._

He'd much rather be texting Art Kid.

* * *

"Guys, it's four o'clock. Art Kid still hasn't responded. It's been eight hours. What could they possibly be doing?" Lance knew he was being annoying but he couldn't help it, he had been really excited about this opportunity and now he may not be able to take it.

"Chill, they probably just have a life." Pidge, as usual, was ruthless.

Hunk actually scolded them, "Pidge! He is clearly getting worked up over this, you don't have to word it like that! But yeah, Lance, they're probably just busy."

"But still… How would you even avoid someone over text?"

"Exactly, you just solved your own problem. If it were impossible to avoid someone over text, you can conclude that they must not be avoiding you at all. Bingo!" Lance groaned at Pidge's dripping sarcasm, however it did give him closure.

Hunk gave Lance a comforting smile, "it'll be alright."

And it was. Hours later, Lance got received a reply.

 **[6:07pm]**

 **From art kid: Um, yeah, sure. Sounds good. I reckon it'd be pretty neat having a friendship where there is still some mystery/secrecy, makes everything a lot more unrestricted, you know? Less boundaries.**

Lance let out a breath of relief and quickly sent his reply before he could take back what he typed.

 **[6:07pm]**

 **To art kid: nice, so does that mean no names?**

 **oh & btw, if u don't mind me asking, why such a late response? u had me worried, I thought maybe u were ignoring me**

 **[6:10pm]**

 **From art kid: No names. But we can share other stuff. For example, I'm a guy and am sixteen going on seventeen.**

 **Well I go to a specialty school for arts, and my hours can get pretty weird. Like, today I started at eight and finished at five-thirty, tomorrow I start at eight and finish at three. Sorry, probably should've given you a heads up.**

Lance changed Art Kid's contact name to Art Boy, both nicknames worked now, but the latter sounded better in his personal opinion.

 **[6:12pm]**

 **To art boy: it's all g. but damn, mr. hotshot! u must be good, hey? maybe u could show me sometime ;)**

 **I'm also a guy & I turn 17 this year too! so are u in year 11?**

 **[6:12pm]**

 **From art boy: Yeah, how coincidental was it that you ended up with my number, huh?**

 **[6:12pm]**

 **From art boy: call it fate buddyboi**

Maybe Lance was having way too much fun texting a stranger, maybe he spent all night talking to him, and maybe he neglected his work to do so, but maybe he didn't care at all.


	3. strangers no more

Texting Stranger had become routine for Keith. He'd wake up, send a good morning text and would continue talking to Stranger until class started. And then again when class ended; when he got home; during breaks between doing work; after dinner; before going to bed; and on occasion, in the early hours of the next morning. They didn't, or couldn't, stay up often - exams were getting closer by the day and the two boys needed as much rest as they could get. When they did stay up, however, they didn't always text. Sometimes their phone screens got too bright to handle and although Keith would never admit it aloud, he enjoyed the sound of Stranger's voice. It was a whole new experience - getting to know someone based solely off their voice and personality. Unsurprisingly, the conversations they had after midnight were usually more sincere and in depth.

"Well, you know what they say, as soon as the clock hits twelve, _ev-ery-thing_ is deep. It's okay though, I like it." In the midst of uncontrollable muffled laughter, Keith had decided to bring up how unusual it was that they were having a casual late night call. Stranger's comment brought a smile to Keith's lips, which he noticed was happening more often than not.

As fascinating as it was to learn how one of Stranger's deepest fears was being replaced, or how he dreamt of producing films and perhaps even owning a publishing firm one day, it was just as interesting to learn that Stranger's favourite colour was blue and that he loved watching cartoons. Keith liked how they could have either joking or serious conversations, never sticking to just one - he appreciated the fact that their friendship transcended many levels.

Even though Keith was starting to think of Stranger as more than a friend.

* * *

 **[4:56pm]**

 **From art boy: Hey, send me a picture.**

 **[4:59pm]**

 **To art boy: of what? and why?**

Lance thought he had some right of knowing the purpose of this request, it wasn't like strangers asked him for pictures every day.

 **[5:00pm]**

 **From art boy: I need something to draw.**

 **[5:00pm]**

 **To art boy: like what?**

 **[5:00pm]**

 **From art boy: Anything.**

 **[5:04pm]**

 **To art boy: what about a pic of me? ;)**

 **u can draw me like one of ur French girls**

While Lance's text seemed confident and cocky, in that moment he was quite the opposite - his face heated up and he waited anxiously for the reply. Thankfully, Art Boy didn't seem to think much of it.

 **[5:06pm]**

 **From art boy: Uh, if you want, then sure.**

 **[5:06pm]**

 **To art boy: nah all g, I actually have this design in my mind except I can't draw for shit**

 **it's for media. we gotta market this film idea & I tried to draw out a potential movie poster**

 **it looks something like:**

 **[5:09pm]**

 _ **You sent an image to 'art boy'.**_

 **[5:14pm]**

 **From art boy: Oh yeah, nice. I can work with that. Tell me what it is though? So I can get a better image of it.**

 **[5:14pm]**

 **To art boy: I'll try not to take that as an insult :p**

 **okay, but don't judge me**

 **basically, it's about these robot lion war-machine kind things, right? there are 5 of them - there's a blue one, red one, green one, yellow one & black one. so the story starts when…**

* * *

Keith was genuinely excited to work on the poster design for Stranger; it was a nice change, something different to his usual projects and, well, it was something that brought him closer to Stranger. He had started working on concept sketches as soon as Stranger had fleshed out the details. It was actually a really captivating idea, if Stranger ever did follow through with his dreams and produce the film Keith would be sure to check it out.

It didn't take Keith long to sketch out the basic outline of the different shapes and such, but then actually creating it digitally? That took a lot out of Keith, it wasn't his element and he got frustrated more than he liked; which is why he decided to take a break without actually disregarding the project - he decided to paint it on a canvas. Keith was a bit hesitant, he was afraid he'd get tired of spending so much time on a single concept but the self-indulgent task brought a refreshing change. He was allowed to add his own style when painting and it made him connect to the idea more.

Incidentally, the art piece was what led Pidge to figure out that Lance was texting Keith, and that Keith was texting Lance. The weekly Shirogane-Holt dinner was being held at the Shirogane household, and Pidge had gone to fetch Keith for dinner - he usually confined himself in his art studio whenever he was working on something.

Pidge walked in and did a double take. Keith's back was to them so they could see the artwork in all its glory, and _wow_ , it looked good. It wasn't even complete, but the background alone could've made for a masterpiece. The sheer detail that went into it was impressive, the various shades of blue, the speckled stars, the realistic planet and the light flares. It was _out of this world_.

"Damn, that looks great, what is it?" Pidge played dumb.

Keith jumped, turned around and shrugged. "Don't know, I got the image off the internet," he was lying his ass off and Pidge tried their very best not to laugh. They knew what it was, Lance wouldn't shut up about his film idea. Pidge had to give him credit though, he was very dedicated to the media assignment and went above and beyond for it; nowhere did the task mention a poster design, but Lance wanted to have a visual. " _Makes it more real,_ " he said. He had spent _days_ trying to figure out what he wanted, and Pidge was sure that if he could see what Keith had made, he'd start crying. In fact…

Pidge made a mental note to invite Lance and Hunk over to the next dinner at the Shirogane household in a fortnight. Who knows? Maybe something will happen. They were very excited because the two boys were way closer than they thought they were. _Oh, just wait till I tell Hunk, he's going to be over the moon._

* * *

For the first time ever, Lance was hesitant with what he wanted to tell Art Boy. He had been able to share anything, stories from his childhood, his pet peeves, his favourite jokes. He wasn't even really sure what prompted him to want to come out to Art Boy, he hadn't done so to anyone but Hunk and Pidge. Maybe it was the sense of security Lance felt when talking to him, he just _trusted_ him; he thought it could also further provide him confidence with not only his sexuality, but also with himself. That, however, did not make the process any less scary, what if Art Boy was biphobic?

"Hey, I wanna tell you something, but it may change how you think of me." Lance's heart rate picked up and he felt his voice catch in this throat.

"Oh? With the amount of information we've shared, I don't think anything could drastically change my perception of you, but try me." Art Boy's little taunt brought courage to Lance, but he was still a nervous wreck.

"I'm bi," Lance rushed out.

"Ah," Art Boy replied without missing a beat, "that's cool. I'm gay." Lance felt an overwhelming wave of relief and acceptance wash over him.

 _I actually have a chance with him! Wait, where did that come from?_ Before Lance could even start questioning his thoughts, Art Boy spoke again.

"Now can I tell you something? It may also change how you think of me."

Lance chuckled, " _try me,"_ he mocked.

"I told you my parents died when I was six, yeah? Or maybe you fell asleep before then, I don't know. Anyways, they died in a car crash - _how cliché_ \- they were turning and some car from the opposite side ran a red light and crashed into them. The police ruled it as an accident, but I've always thought it was intentional, I have this gut feeling, you know?"

Lance didn't know, and he was at a loss for words. "That sucks. What can you do about it?"

"A lot, actually. I've always wanted to investigate it. Granted, I have no idea how I'd do it and stuff like school get in the way of me actually trying, but I wanna do it someday."

"Okay, well, if we ever meet, I'll help." Lance wasn't sure why he wanted to help investigate the potential _murder_ of a stranger's parents, but hey, Art Boy had him doing and saying quite a few things he usually wouldn't.

"Really?" Art Boy sounded delightful, and who was Lance to deny such request coming from a voice like that?

"Promise."

* * *

Lance was excited. Pidge had invited him and Hunk to dinner with their family. Did he mention it was at Shiro's house? He was just about to burst. He was so uncontrollably ecstatic, in fact, that he had asked if he could call Art Boy - in the afternoon - and to his joy, the boy said yes. In retrospect, the conversation could've gone better. _Much_ better. As a matter of fact, after it was over and after Lance had told Hunk and Pidge about it on their way over to the Shirogane household, Pidge had asked "what, you had a dick measuring contest about how shitty your lives are?" Even Hunk gave him a disappointed look. Man, did they fuck up badly.

In all honesty, Lance wasn't even sure how they got to that stage. For all he knew, they were having a good, light-hearted conversation and suddenly it turned into a self-deprecation contest.

"I was at school when my parents died! I never even got to properly say goodbye! They never even knew I like guys, they died before they even got to know me so you think the world is out to get you? Please. You have it _so_ easy."

"I'm _nothing_ in my family. Not the smart one, not the pretty or handsome one, and not the sporty one. I guess I can be classified as being the funny one but where's that gonna get me in life, you can't get a job for being funny!"

"What? You _excel_ in media, what are you even on about? And I thought you said your family grounds you!"

Lance was frustrated, he was pissed, but nothing warranted what he said next. "Ugh! You don't get it! You wouldn't anyways, you have none."

Art Boy actually scoffed. "Oh, you did NOT just say that! You know what? I'm done here." Before Lance could even utter another word the line went dead.

* * *

Keith was infuriated beyond comprehension. He was working on his painting, and he had tied his hair up so it was out of his face but now all he wanted to do was tear it out from the roots. Who did Stranger even think he was? When the conversation escalated Keith had gotten up from his chair, unable to sit still any longer. He couldn't even look at the painting anymore without feeling his blood boil, and it was a shame because it was almost done and he was quite proud of it, but it was time for it to go.

However, before Keith could lay one hand on the canvas, Shiro had called notifying him the guests were here. He knew he couldn't make a mess now, and he had to go greet the guests anyway, Pidge had brought some friends. He headed out the door, and as a quick attempt to release some anger, he slammed it.

The force exerted on the door caused it to swing open again, but Keith didn't notice, he had walked away as quickly as he had shut that door.


	4. the reveal

**hi. long time no see, remember me? I'll explain a few things at the end but enjoy this chapter (it's over 3000 words, a new record for me!)**

* * *

Keith stood behind his family at the door, not wanting his anger to seep through and accidentally disrespect the guests. Once inside, the parents headed off to the kitchen to begin making dinner while the children headed to the main lounge. That's where the formal introductions happened.

Pidge's two friends, Hunk and Lance, seemed like opposites. Lance was slender, and looked like a nervous, sweaty wreck. On the other hand, Hunk had a larger body frame and looked totally chill, comforting his friend. At first, Keith wasn't sure why Lance was so freaked out, but then he caught the glances. Whenever Shiro was speaking Keith could see Lance pay him extra attention, as if trying to analyse his every detail. Whenever Lance cracked a joke he made sure to check if Shiro was listening, and if he laughed, Lance smiled brighter than the sun. The boy admired Shiro, and it was more obvious than how Hunk was trying to sneak into the kitchen - whether it was to take food or to help make it, Keith wasn't sure. Yet Shiro had absolutely no idea. Or he did, but was respectable about it and not creeped out. His brother was a weird specimen, Keith had decided, he had no idea how he operated.

Now, under any normal circumstance, Keith would've gone _"wow, what a nerd. This gathering sucks. I'm gonna text Stranger."_ However, this wasn't any normal circumstance, Keith and Stranger weren't talking… or something. Keith wasn't sure what. Just thinking about the situation and Stranger vexed him. Truth be told, Keith wasn't as bothered with the words as he was bothered with the fact that it was Stranger who had said it. The words did sting him, but they were nothing new - bullies often used the fact Keith was adopted against him, so eventually he learned to put up a wall and block the harsh words out. No, what hurt the most was that he had trusted Stranger with a piece of his past he rarely shared with anyone, and he had gone and used it against him. In his peripheral vision Keith saw Pidge cast him a worried glance and wondered why. He shrugged it off, but it still itched the back of his mind.

After twenty painfully long minutes, Keith had finally had enough. Hunk was gone, officially becoming kitchen staff, Pidge was on their phone doing work or something, Shiro and Matt had left to review exam techniques, and Lance was still fidgeting on the couch. Keith was bored but did not want to have a conversation with Lance, especially if he was going to have the same eager attitude he had with Shiro.

Stranger had Keith doing things he normally wouldn't, he knew that, but he wasn't sure if texting him right now would be the smartest choice. Stranger had really stunted Keith's trust, he wasn't sure if he could come to trust him again and get back to the relaxed atmosphere that usually surrounded them. Still, it wasn't like they couldn't put this silence on hold and talk casually, even if it was only for one night, right?

 **[5:48pm]**

 **To Stranger: I know we left off on a really bad foot, and I don't know what we are - where we are right now and we can go straight back to unknowing after this if you want, but I need someone to talk to and you are my go to person.**

 **Were*? I don't know. All I know is that I'm at this gathering and I need someone to talk to really badly because it's bad and you're the only person I could think of.**

After Keith sent the text, he shoved his phone back in the pocket as an attempt to prevent watching it like a hawk for any activity. Boy, he may really regret that text later. When Keith looked back up, he realised Lance had gotten off the couch and was now walking away, presumably towards the bathroom.

 _Oh God, please don't tell me you're going to go jerk off._

Then Keith realised that Lance probably didn't even know where the bathroom was.

* * *

Lance had to go find somewhere to freshen up and take a breather, preferably in a bathroom. Back in the lounge, with Shiro there, he felt like he was constantly being watched, and that he had to impress. That wasn't the case, of course, but being in such close proximity of his idol felt surreal and he was anxious. Being so nervous even caused him to forget about Art Boy, and _shit_ , he had to find a way to apologise. He knew he screwed up badly. He had absolutely no right to say such thing to him, to anyone, and he couldn't imagine how hurt Art Boy was feeling right now. He had trusted Lance with personal information and he had gone and used it against him.

Lance's phone buzzed, causing him to stop in the middle of a hallway. His breath then hitched when he checked the notification. It was from Art Boy. Lance, speaking frankly, was afraid to check the message. But if Art Boy had texted him first, surely it couldn't be that bad, right? And it wasn't, he was proposing they forget the situation, even if it was just for the moment, and asked for Lance to keep him company, he was at this gathering…

Lance almost dropped his phone, it had to be a coincidence that Art Boy was at a gathering too, right? His second thought was _please don't let it be Hunk or Pidge pranking me_. Then he realised it couldn't be, Pidge wasn't the same age as him and Hunk didn't do art. Lance sighed in relief, _all good, false alarm._

That was before he passed the art studio. He wasn't intending on peering into the room, but the door was open and he saw that there was a piece of work up, so he decided to take a quick glance. That quick glance turned more into a fixation when he realised what the artwork really was. It was _his_ design. It was so unmistakably his, it looked exactly like that little sketchup he drew months ago, but so much more detailed and _real_. The background was more than Lance had ever imagined, it took his breath away, but that wasn't the most impressive feature. The sheer detail that went into the subject was impeccable, there was an obvious distinction between the different coloured lions - each making up a different part of the combined robot. Each lion head could be seen, and they were painted in a way so that there was a rustic feel to them, like they indeed were in storage for 10,000 years. There was also a sword and shield, something Lance had not thought of, so it was obviously a little touch added by the artist, yet it still encompassed the idea, simply extending it further. _Wow,_ the artist must really be as into the concept as Lance was. He was flabbergasted.

However, the artwork also meant that Art Boy actually was in this house and that made Lance feel on edge. Art Boy was either Shiro, or his adoptive brother Keith. The 50/50 chance that the boy Lance grown so close to was Shiro caused his heart to race, but then dejectedly, he realised Shiro was a year older than he was. _Okay_ , Lance took a deep breath in, _so Art Boy is -_

"Are you lost? The bathroom is the other way." Lance turned around to find Keith, Art Boy, standing in front of him. He sounded so much different in real life, but then again, Lance had only ever had conversations with the boy late at night or early in the morning and you don't sound the same in those hours, plus everyone sounds different through the phone anyways. So that was it. Keith Shirogane, Shiro's adoptive brother, he was the owner of the number Lance had randomly dialled way back, the boy he had been texting all this time, the boy who knew all his secrets, and who had shared his own. Keith was also the boy he had probably hurt deeply just hours earlier. Lance didn't want to fuck up the situation even more, but he also had no idea how to proceed with it.

Lance looked at the painting, then back at Keith.

"That's my design," Lance said stupidly. As soon as the words had left his mouth he wished he could take them back, but since he couldn't, he sort of really wanted to hit himself.

Keith, bless him, hadn't put the pieces together and looked confused as to why Lance just took credit for the reference of the painting. "No? I'm pretty sure it's one of a kind."

"Yeah… It's mine." There was no going back now. Lance had shown himself to Keith, and he was going to figure everything out.

He did. A moment later Keith's expression changed from one of confusion to one that was unreadable; then he must've decided to disregard the request in his text, because in one swift motion, Keith sidestepped Lance into his art studio and slammed the door in the boy's face.

Okay, maybe he was still upset.

* * *

Keith had no idea what to feel, although he was very conflicted. For a start, he didn't know what to do with the painting anymore. He stopped his pacing to stand in front of it and just stared. It no longer felt right to just destroy it, his rage was dissipating, and Stranger, Lance, had already seen it. Keith couldn't just destroy the piece of artwork made based off his idea when he knew it existed. _I guess I'm finishing this baby off._

Secondly, Lance was Stranger. Stranger was Lance. The boy who so obviously idolised his brother was the same boy who had called him that first night feeling insignificant, one of the first few people Keith had grown close to since he was six, and as much as Keith would hate to admit, someone who Keith had fallen for.

Stranger had betrayed Keith in a sense, that much was true, but Keith realised Stranger was not the same person as Lance. Stranger was a boy who knew Keith based only off of what he had told him, Lance didn't _really_ know Keith at all - vice versa.

That is why Keith decided to give Lance a chance. What Stranger said was mean, and it did upset Keith, but it also wasn't Lance who said it. Because of that, Keith was willing to put it past himself in hopes of building a new relationship. He didn't want to disregard the progress they had already made whilst being physical strangers, but moreso wanted to build upon it. He had gotten to know Stranger, but now it was time to get to know Lance.

Based on Keith's judgement, around ten minutes had passed since he enclosed himself in his studio. That being said, Keith was very surprised when he opened the door to find Lance still there on the other side.

* * *

Lance fell forward. He just so happened to work up the courage to knock at the door as it was being opened. He had fallen into Keith's arms, but luckily the latter boy caught him. His felt his face burn but he looked up and saw it was nothing compared to the expression Keith wore.

"Uh…" Lance barely got the words out before Keith shoved him out of his arms.

"Lan-"

"Kei-" The boys spoke in unison after they recovered and remembered they had wanted to speak to each other.

"Let-"

"No, let me go first." Keith nodded, and Lance took the invitation to continue.

"I really have to apologise; for what I said earlier. It was uncalled for and a total dick move, I guess I really wanted, or needed, to wallow in self-pity so I was being totally unreasonable while you were being logical. You proved me wrong, and you were right of course, and if I had been gloomy it would've cheered me up instantly but in the moment I _had_ to be right and it just slipped. Not that this is your fault, God no, nothing is to blame except miscommunication. And I didn't mean any of it, I just really wasn't thinking at the time. I don't know if you can ever trust me again, but if you do decide to forgive me I am letting you know it won't ever, _ever_ , happen again. I'm sorry."

Keith looked startled, almost as if he wasn't expecting Lance to say sorry. "Oh -"

"You mean a lot to me. I don't know if I ever told you that before, but you kept me company that first night and everyday since then and I don't know what I would do if all of a sudden you stopped talking to me and -" Lance was rambling. He knew it. Keith knew it. He stopped rambling; Keith's look of impatience spoke louder than any words could.

"Just let me talk, okay? Although, no, you never told me, and I feel very flattered - thank you." Keith gave a little chuckle upon seeing how red Lance's face had turned. "And yeah, I forgive you. I realised that when you said what you said you weren't you and you weren't talking to me," Keith cursed internally at how fearful Lance was and realised how bad it sounded. "What I mean by that is, at that time to me you were still "Stranger" and to you I still whatever you called me. Now, standing in front of me, you are Lance. I don't know Lance, but I know Stranger. Even though what was said earlier today made me distrust Stranger, it also wasn't YOU, Lance, who said it. Because of that, I'd like to get to know you. I can put a name and a face to Stranger now and I'm hoping that it won't affect the kind of relationship we had; if anything I want it to develop more."

"Art Boy."

"What?"

"You were known as "Art Boy" to me. Originally it was "Art Kid" 'cause I didn't want to just assume your gender, but I changed it after you introduced yourself. I think I get what you mean though, this whole time I've been talking to Art Boy but now I'm talking to you as Keith. I would like to get to know you too, and I hope it won't affect what we had. It might be a bit daunting now though, sharing the information I would share to someone I don't know. Is that okay?"

"More than okay, and it could take a while for me to get comfortable again, but it will happen. We can to this. Together." Lance's insides warmed, he truly appreciated Keith's understanding and he understood him as well.

"Together." Lance nodded and gave a tender smile, happy to see Keith offer one of his own.

* * *

They decided it was time to head back to the main area, and walked mostly in silence until Keith decided to speak up again.

"You wanna know something? What you said to me honestly didn't upset me that much. I was more sad you would say something like that to me." Keith was aware he was bringing up something that was maybe best to be left in the past, but he just felt the urge to let Lance know.

Lance looked at him with sad eyes. "I'm sorry, Keith, if I could take it back I would. I would never hurt you purposely."

"I do believe you, but you can't take it back. And truth be told? If the option was there, I don't know if I'd take it. I like to think it made us grow up a bit, you know?"

"Well… Look who's being philosophical now." Lance gave a goofy smile and Keith playfully punched him on the arm in response.

Keith had feelings for Stranger but whether he had feelings for Lance as well wasn't so clear to him yet. He knew they were the same person, but at the moment they were still distinguishable; although if the interactions they had after finding each other out were anything to go by, Keith was sure he would fall for Lance too. However, this was not the time to be thinking about that, he could do that lying awake in the middle of the night. For now, he just wanted to spend the rest of the night with Lance and get to know him.

* * *

Hunk and Pidge noticed the obvious difference in how Keith and Lance acted around one another at the dinner table. They sat together, laughing and talking as if they had known each other for years and not like they just met - although this was the first time they met _in person._

"Pidge, do you think they know?" Hunk was shocked. He was sure he had missed some interaction whilst in the kitchen, how else could there suddenly be such a friendly atmosphere?

"Of course they do, Hunk. Not that I have any evidence, but look at them! They look closer than Matt and Shiro, and you know how attached they are to each other." Pidge smiled smugly, "my plan worked, I'm such a genius."

"You mean… You had this planned all along? Is this the reason you invited Lance and I over? So he could potentially meet the guy he had been talking to? Was I even relevant?" Hunk was struggling to keep his voice down and conceal their conversation, so Pidge promptly shoved some food into his mouth.

"You were important, absolutely. Who else was I going to hang out with if Keith and Lance got it on? I couldn't have foreseen their dumb argument, but I had to take precautions. You also made some _really_ tasty food, so that's a plus." Pidge watched Hunk swallow his food down, glaring.

"Thank you Pidge, I am glad you enjoy my cooking." Pidge rolled their eyes at Hunk's hostility, but his expression then changed to one of playful curiosity. "You think they're dating now?"

Pidge looked long and hard at Lance and Keith before answering. They looked happy, content.

"No, but they will be."

* * *

 **so whaddya think? lemme know :))**

 **a few things:**

 **\- yeah, sorry this took so long. it's been like, what, 3 weeks? god. basically school started and although I didn't even have that much work to do, I just didn't have the time - and occasionally, no motivation - to write.**

 **\- this is technically the penultimate chapter, although the last one can also serve as an epilogue of sorts, I guess. it's gonna time jump a bit**

 **\- speaking of the last chapter, I have no idea when it'll be out. I've fleshed everything out and now it's just up to writing it. I had something Halloween-themed planned for it, but the chapter might not be out then. do you think it'll be weird if I included something Halloween but post it after?**

 **as usual, thanks for reading :))**


	5. the end

_Lance, who celebrated his birthday just the day before, is now seven, and watching TV at breakfast. The news is on, and his mum asks to have the volume turned up. Lance isn't really concentrating but he catches a few keywords, "car crash… a couple… orphaned… ruling it as an accident…"_

" _Oh that's horrible," his mother says, "poor boy." Lance immediately thinks of the boy from his class, with his messy mullet and blue-grey eyes. He thinks of how yesterday the principal came into their classroom when the teacher was cutting Lance's cake and asked for "Keith Kogane" to come with him to his office. Lance thinks of how he would've laughed and teased Keith for getting in trouble if not for how sad their principal looked. He remembers asking the teacher to "please let Keith stay a little longer, he has to have cake!" He remembers the teacher shaking her head, and the principal leading Keith away. Lance will never forget the image of Keith looking back at him with scared eyes, and he won't ever forget how he had held eye contact with Keith until he was pulled around the corner out of view._

 _It was the last time Lance ever saw Keith Kogane._

 _Later that day, Lance's teacher had explained to his class with heart-wrenching delicacy that Keith's parents were killed in a car crash and that he wouldn't be coming back because his adoptive family lived too far to drive him to this school. Lance felt his stomach drop but was confused with the sudden feeling, Keith had been his rival, shouldn't he be happy he was gone? He wasn't, he was far from it. In fact, he had gone home screaming at his mother, crying, asking why the world was so unfair and why it had to be Keith's parents who died. His mother had consoled him for hours, explaining how sometimes it was just pure chance. That day, Lance learnt how brutal the world was, how perhaps he had liked Keith way more than he thought, and how maybe he had used "rivals" as a way of hiding the conflicted feelings he had._

 _Just as everything was about to fade to black, another boy filled his vision. He was sitting on a stool working on a canvas and seemed to notice someone was in the room with him. When he turned around, Lance was met with the same blue-grey eyes he was never able to erase from his memory._

Lance shot up from his bed, breathing heavily and sweating. Keith Kogane, Keith Shirogane - were they the same people? Keith Kogane, whom he fought with on their first day of school, whom he was always trying to beat, whom all the girls seemed to like; who - after finally realising it years later - was his first real crush, who missed out on having his birthday cake, who he never saw again because his parents had died in a car crash. Was he Keith Shirogane, whom he had randomly called one night while not feeling his best, whom he had formed an unlikely friendship with afterward, whose trust he had betrayed; whom he recently restarted a relationship with, whom he was falling for? If they really were the same people, which Lance secretly hoped they weren't, it could change a few things.

Luckily for Lance, he knew exactly where to gain information.

* * *

"Pidge, do you happen to know anything about Keith's past?" Pidge, besides being an academic genius, was known for being a holder of information. Lance was just hoping they wouldn't think too much of his question.

They did, and Lance could tell because they replied with an eyebrow raised in curiosity. "What are you asking, specifically?"

"You know…"

"No Lance, I don't know. That is why I am asking you."

"I had a dream about my childhood rival called Keith Kogane who I later realised I had a crush on and then at the end of that dream Keith Shirogane showed up and did you know that they have the same blue-grey eyes? It's the most beautiful eye colour I have ever seen and Pidge are they the same person because I don't know what to do if they are." Lance didn't hold back and Pidge seemed impressed with how much he got out with a single breath.

"If they were the same, why would it change anything?" Pidge was doing the thing where they didn't confirm nor deny anything, but it didn't bother Lance. He was down to just talk about his feelings for a bit.

"You were listening to my story, right? We were rivals!"

"Seriously, Lance? You're holding back because you were 'rivals' in primary school? When you were like, what, five?"

"He had a mullet!" _Wow, the mullet_. Lance remembered how the most hated feature of his rival suddenly became his favourite after the boy had left because it was so unique, and how it hurt to see anyone who with a mullet for months. It didn't happen frequently because, after all, who even had a mullet in this day and age? Whatever, a white lie couldn't hurt to prove his point. "He probably still does have one. I couldn't tell at dinner, he had his hair up."

"He does." Pidge said it so nonchalantly it took Lance a moment to process their words.

"H-he what?! That's blasphemy."

"Yeah, I don't think you're using that word correctly. As for Keith, I can't tell you anything because it isn't my place but if it's something that could affect how you see him you have to talk to him. You have talked to him since dinner, right?"

Lance hadn't. But to be fair, neither had Keith. They spent the whole night talking face to face and as soon as Lance got home he crashed. Keith was still probably saved under his phone as 'Art Boy'. He'd have to change that. And he had to text him… But that could wait until after school.

* * *

Lance was hesitating. Lance never hesitated when texting Art Boy, so why was he reluctant with Keith? They were the same people. If anything, it should be easier as they now know each other. But that was also the problem, isn't it? That anonymity is gone, they know who the other is, and they had mutual friends. The risks of their secrets seeing the light of day were higher than ever.

 _No,_ Lance shook his head at himself. He wouldn't let it happen, and he trusted Keith to do the same for him.

In all honesty, Lance felt like he didn't have enough time to really process the situation the night before. Everything happened so quickly and his emotions were a mess. He was so focused on just getting to _know_ Keith and trying not to fuck up again he didn't really think about what it meant. It meant that they knew what the other looked like, and that they could also add video chatting into their various forms of communication. It also meant that they could _hangout._ In real life. Do things together, like friends would do. Or even like a couple would do, it hadn't sunk in that this meant Lance may actually have a chance going on a date with Art Boy - Keith. The thought of it made his heart flutter. Although before any of that could happen Lance had to text Keith.

 **[3:14pm] To art boy:**

 **hey keith. uh we haven't talked all day have we?**

 **[3:42pm] From keith:**

 **Oh. I guess you're right. Sorry, I got pretty busy at school.**

 **I will work on your poster design though! I am making a digital version, it's just that paint and canvas is more my forte.**

 **[3:45pm] To keith:**

 **dude don't apologise, I get it. sometimes school just decides to load up on u one week**

 **that's perfectly fine. honestly the canvas one is so amazing and beautiful… I couldn't ask for more, really**

 **[3:46pm] From keith:**

 **Aha, that's good. I'm glad.**

Lance sighed aloud. Something changed between him and Keith, it wasn't hard to notice. They were tip-toeing around each other, their conversations were surface level and it was even more awkward than the first time they called at three in the morning. Lance decided to address it before it got worse.

 **[3:46pm] To keith:**

 **gee, isn't this sorta awkward**

 **are we okay?**

 **[3:53pm] From keith:**

 **Yeah? Why wouldn't we be?**

 **I don't know, I guess it's a lot harder for me to be open now because I can assign a name and face to you, and it's just… I'm not good with people, sorry.**

 **Why, do you want to stop?**

 **[3:54pm] To keith:**

 **stop what?**

 **wait u mean this? us talking? god no**

 **unless u want to stop, I am very content with continuing to talk to u. I was just asking cause I wanted to know if we could make it past that hurdle**

 **and I guess we can.**

 **also don't apologise, we're familiar with each other, we're chill**

Keith hadn't responded in a while, which caused Lance to feel uneasy but he tried not to take it to heart. He did say he had a lot of school work, after all. Instead, Lance saw the absence of a reply as an opportunity to ask the question that had been eating away at him since when he woke up.

 **[4:02pm] To keith:**

 **speaking of hurdles… can I ask u something?**

 **it's pre personal so don't feel compelled to answer it**

 **what's ur biological last name?**

 **[4:06pm] From keith:**

 **I'd like for us to keep talking too.**

 **And um, yeah I can answer the question but may I ask why you're asking it first?**

Keith wanted to know why Lance was asking such a question and he reserved the full right to know, but it still put Lance on edge and he was afraid Keith would judge him. He never had that problem with Art Boy, he could speak as freely as he wanted and act however he wanted but now he felt like he always had to make a good impression.

 **[4:07pm] To keith:**

 **ofc u can ask that, just don't judge me lol :p**

 **so back when I was in primary school, this was like grade 1, I had this rival and his name was keith kogane. he had this ugly mullet but his eyes were so beautiful, they were blue - almost violet**

 **anyways I don't think he thought of me as a rival, but I did. he always beat me in class. we had these book boxes and he reached the black box - the highest level before I did. there was also this game where you lined up in two lines and the teacher held up two cards with numbers. whoever could multiply the numbers and give her the correct answer first got to stay at the front. he was so good at that, he was literally always at the front whereas I went back and forth**

 **then on my seventh birthday his parents died. in a car crash. the news came as the teacher was cutting my cake and then the principal took keith out of class before he could get any. it was the last time I ever saw him**

 **and u know I hadn't even thought about him for ages but then I had a dream - more like a flashback - with him in it and then at the very end you showed up and -**

 **I guess why I'm asking it is because - are u the same person?**

 **[4:29pm] From keith:**

 **Yes. Yes I am.**

 **Wow, no one has really addressed me as Kogane since sixth grade. It's weird, but also very welcoming. Like coming home.**

… **and you, you're Lance. That boy in my class who would always yell out and be loud and show off to all the girls. Why did you hate me so much, anyways?**

 **Wow, what a small world though, hey? I'm glad we have this connection. I mean, I know that I had a bond with you when you were Stranger but this is nice.**

 **Like a small part of my past has been revived. Thank you for that.**

 **[4:30pm] To keith:**

 **oh keith, I'm just happy u're happy**

 **truth be told I didn't hate u, looking back I think I was just jealous**

 **cause I mean u got all the girls and I was like "y they no lik me"**

 **[4:30pm] From keith:**

 **Me? Getting all the girls? No way. They all loved you!**

 **Plus, I'm gay? Like, yeah.**

 **[4:30pm] To keith:**

 **doesn't mean they can't like ya**

 **maybe they liked us both equally. look at us getting the ladies ;)**

 **[4:30pm] From keith:**

 **HAHAH speak for yourself, I ain't interested.**

Suddenly, Lance felt his heart drop. Did that mean Keith was not interested in anyone? Could Keith even like Lance after how they met and what happened?

 **[4:31pm] To keith:**

 **well then are u interested in anyone?**

 **[4:32pm] From keith:**

 **Let's just say… it's for me to know and for you to find out.**

 **;)**

Lance's heart skipped a beat. While Keith didn't explicitly give an answer, he thought it was safe to assume it was a "yes". And the winky face… Keith had never sent any kind of emoticon before and it was surprising to see it come from him, almost _dirty_. Lance felt his face heat up and he got more and more jittery every time he reread the message.

Lance imagined there to be a lot of people at Keith's school, and there were probably knew a few more Keith knew outside school, but what if? What if the person Keith liked was actually him? Lance couldn't help but ponder the chances.

* * *

It got better after that, Lance could see Keith opening up more and he was starting to relax and be more comfortable himself. However, they still hadn't seen each other in person. They had video called, yes, but ever since the Shirogane-Holt dinner they hadn't even been in the same vicinity as one another. Lance's birthday was coming up, and as it wasn't a milestone he decided against having a massive get together. Instead, he wanted to celebrate with family then have a smaller celebration with friends. By friends he really meant Hunk and Pidge, but then thought it was the perfect opportunity to ask Keith to come as well.

The two boys hadn't shared birthdates, and Lance doubted Keith would remember from when they were in primary school so he invited him the next time they were talking on the phone.

"Keith?"

"Yes?"

"Are you free on Sunday in two weeks' time?"

"In two weeks? I don't know yet, why?"

"Well my birthday is coming up, and I was gonna hang out with Pidge and Hunk to celebrate. I was wondering if you'd want to join."

"Your birthday is soon? And you hadn't told me? Shit, um, yeah of course. I'd love to come." Keith sounded accusative with his second question but Lance knew he didn't mean it, he was just surprised. He would've been too.

"Awesome!" Lance kept going, but had no idea why. He hadn't planned this far, and didn't realise what he saying until after he had said it. "Um, if you want we can hang out beforehand too. Get us a bit more comfortable, you know?" His voice turned shaky at the end and he hoped he wasn't taking it too far or rushing anything.

"That sounds great, actually." Lance could tell Keith was smiling and couldn't repress a smile of his own. "I'd been wanting to do something with you but just never had the time."

After that, they fell back to their usual light-hearted conversation. Soon, Lance was drowsy and felt himself giving into sleep but didn't want to stop talking to Keith. He told the boy he could hang up if he fell asleep.

As the conversation went on, Lance felt himself drift away more and more and seemed to have no control over what he was saying.

"Can you believe we met each other like this, Keith? How weird. The universe works weirdly sometimes. Space is weird too. Do you know how big it is? Ugh, I hate school."

Keith's chuckle calmed Lance, but then he told him "you're cute" and it brought him back to lucidity at once.

"I'm not gonna embarrass myself anymore, can you tell me a story or something?"

"Sure."

Lance had no idea what Keith was talking about, and he probably fell asleep in the middle of it, but he knew he fell asleep with Keith's words and voice like a song in his mind.

* * *

 **[1:23am] From keith:**

 **I like you too.**

To be greeted with a text like that first thing in the morning was very frightening for Lance. Especially as he had no recollection of what happened prior.

 _Shit. Shit fuck. What happened? Did I say something right before I fell asleep? Or did Keith text the wrong person? God, please don't let it be the last one._

Lance tried very hard to contain himself as he typed out an awkward response explaining his situation.

 **[6:34am] To keith:**

 **shit sorry okay I feel so very horrible but I don't really remember what happened last night?**

 **like god I'm so so so ssoryr**

 *****sorry**

 **[6:56am] From keith:**

 **Ah it's okay.. Um, you told me that you liked me? And idk I just took it as the truth and fuck maybe I shouldn't have I'm sorry.**

 **I understand if you want to stop talking after this.**

Lance took in a few deep breaths, collecting himself. He had confessed to Keith. He confessed and Keith had confessed back. _Okay,_ _do not freak out._ They had time to figure things out. He also had to ensure Keith he hadn't made a mistake.

 **[6:58am] To keith:**

 **so it's true?**

 **[6:58am] From keith:**

 **Is what true?**

Keith was stalling. Normally Lance would've been pissed but he was feeling the same way he thought Keith was, and probably would've done the same thing as well so he let it slide.

 **[6:58am] To keith:**

 **u really do like me?**

 **[6:59am] From keith:**

 **Like you? Lance I feel so strongly about you it could be**

 **It could turn into love.**

Lance felt like he had been hit in the gut. In a good way though, it made him feel _so_ good. _Keith_ always made him feel good. Knowing Keith's feelings made Lance more confident in his own, and like he could fully let them grow.

 **[6:59am] To keith:**

 **does that mean… what does that mean? are we boyfriends? dating? seeing each other?**

 **[7:00am] From keith:**

 **I don't know, Lance. Can we please not do THAT right now? Label it?**

 **I really do like you, believe me, but I haven't been close with an outsider in forever. Much less an outsider I like and who likes me back. I don't want to rush it because I'm afraid I'll scare you away.**

 **I'm sorry.**

Lance felt bad. Correction, Lance felt horrible. He just found out they had mutual feelings for each other and was already making Keith feel guilty.

 **[7:00am] To keith:**

 **keith, keith? breathe. it's gonna be okay. we'll be okay, we have all the time in the world, don't apologise**

 **I'm sorry too, for coming on too strong. I'm just very excited that someday I may get to call u mine**

 **[7:01am] From keith:**

 **You do funny things to my heart, Lance.**

 **[7:01am] To keith:**

 **same goes for you, Keithy boy 3**

Lance felt on top of the world. Like he could do anything, _anything_ he wanted. And it was all because he knew that Keith would be there by his side. He then realised that he still did not know how he had confessed and was curious.

In actuality he just wanted to know how humiliating he was.

 **[7:05am] To keith:**

 **wait but can I ask how I told u I like u? I wanna make sure I didn't embarrass myself too hard .**

 **[7:08am] From keith:**

 **Sure, you said something like "I'm glad you are Keith Kogane. You were my first crush, you know? I didn't realise it until years after but you were and now I have a crush on Keith Shirogane too. I. Like. You."**

 **Hahah, it was sweet, really.**

Lance felt embarrassed, but also strangely proud of himself. Sober Lance wouldn't be able to come up with something as smooth as this and for what it's worth, he was happy it happened this way.

* * *

Hunk and Pidge were surprised when Lance told them what had happened.

"You're right, Lance, it was pretty damn smooth. Too bad you don't remember it and may never be that smooth again in your life." Lance never understood why his friends enjoyed teasing him so much. Lance was accommodated to Pidge having a go at him because they did it so often but Hunk's remarks still had a large effect because it didn't happen that much. Even Pidge seemed startled Hunk said such a thing, but recovered and gave him a fist bump.

"Did you ask him about his past?" Pidge asked it sweetly, and Lance was glad they could go from being in joking mood to a serious one if need be.

"No, but after I asked about his last name we did a little reconciliation thing. Other than that and what he told me while we were still anonymous I don't know anything else. I think if there are things to know he'll tell me when he's ready." Pidge nodded in response and Lance wondered if one day he would know everything about Keith's past. He'd love that, if Keith was willing of course. And if not, Lance would be okay with it as well. He wasn't going to push a subject that could make Keith uncomfortable.

In an attempt to brighten the mood a bit, Lance started talking about his birthday plans.

"So I was thinking of just having a small get together, we can just chill at the park or something. Eat some food. Ah, and I invited Keith. But we're gonna earlier together first. To get comfortable with each other… I guess." Now that Lance was talking about the plans out loud, it began to sink in. He was going to be alone, with Keith, on his birthday.

 _Crap,_ was Keith going to get him a present? Lance guessed it was expected but… he wouldn't have anything to give back! In fact, he didn't even know when Keith's birthday was. Had it already happened? Surely if it did, he would've told him, even if it was when they were strangers, right? It was something Lance would have to talk about with Keith later. He didn't like receiving something when he hadn't or couldn't give anything back.

"Lance, you alright? You kinda spaced out there," Hunk sounded worried and Lance saw that Pidge looked concerned too. He was glad his friends could tell if he wasn't feeling alright, and decided to open up about his problem, asking them for advice.

"Yeah, yeah. I just - I don't want Keith to get me a present when I haven't done anything for him, you know?"

"Oh," immediately Pidge scrunched their eyebrows in thought. After a few moments, they spoke up again. "Well, it doesn't have to be something physical. Yes gifts are usually a physical object or something that can be redeemed but it doesn't always have to be. It can be something like a vow, or a promise. Although to be frank, I feel like Keith would be fine not getting anything back. He's a lot brighter and happier now with your company."

Lance flushed. Despite acting cocky and confident most of the time he didn't really know how to take compliments, and the fact that this was one about the boy he liked made it a lot worse. He thought over Pidge's words and realised that perhaps he could give something back to Keith after all.

"Plus, free food is always a gift, right?" Hunk added. Lance laughed, there wasn't a time when his friend wasn't thinking of food.

* * *

Lance slept in on the Sunday he was meant to meet Keith. He wasn't late, but he had to rush to get there a tad early. He couldn't be blamed, it was his birthday! He was seventeen, the last of his teen years. Next year, he turns eighteen and becomes a legal adult. He got up, got dressed and went to the kitchen where members upon members of his family greeted him with a "Happy Birthday." There were no presents yet, that was for later.

He checked his phone and found birthday messages from his friends and other people he knew. He felt disheartened when he saw no message from Keith but told himself to get over it, he was seeing him very soon anyways. Once Lance finished eating, he packed his bag, farewelled his family and headed to the park.

He found a nice tree to sit under, and fortunately didn't have to wait very long before Keith showed up in all his glory. He wore a simple dark maroon hoodie with black skinny jeans and had his hair tied back again. It really was a sight, and Lance had to take a moment to compose himself. That was the boy who could well become Lance's first boyfriend, and he was smitten just looking at him. Lance didn't notice instantly, but Keith held a tube of some sort in his left hand. Lance expressed his puzzlement to Keith who simply smiled in return.

When Keith was within earshot, Lance greeted him with a wave and a grin.

"Hey."

"Hi. Happy seventeenth birthday!" Keith beamed and immediately Lance's worries of not receiving a text were gone. The awkwardness Lance thought might be present wasn't there either, it seemed like the progress they made at the dinner really paid off. He sat down next to him and passed over what he was holding, which turned out to be a piece of something rolled up. "Open it," Keith looked like he couldn't control his excitement.

Now usually Lance was not the kind of person to open presents in front of people, fearing he wouldn't like the present and his face would express that. However, Keith looked like he was just about to burst with excitement as Lance carefully unrolled the gift.

He was not disappointed. He recognised it right away, despite having previously seen it unfinished and handmade. It was his movie concept poster, digitally made and printed out on actual poster paper. Lance felt like crying. It looked so professional, so real that Lance almost forgot the idea wasn't on the big screens and merely in his head. And now, on this poster. He saw that Keith had even made up the credits, and found his name multiple times under the different headings.

"I, um - I spent every afternoon and stayed up almost every night since you told me when your birthday was to get this finished. Digital isn't really my thing so I'm sorry if it doesn't look great but I'm really proud of it. I hope you like it too. I'm sorry it's curled up, I wanted to surprise you and it was the only way I could conceal it without damaging it too much." Lance didn't take his eyes off the poster as Keith spoke, he was taking in every single detail and effort Keith had put into making this. "Lance, please say something."

That made his head snap up and when he saw distress building up in Keith he realised hadn't really offered any response to the poster since receiving it. When he opened his mouth to speak, tears came out instead of words.

"Keith, this is beautiful. This is so, so unbelievably amazing and I am so, so thankful you did this for me. It honestly could not have turned out any better, thank you, really." Then, needing to ensure Keith would be okay with contact, he asked if he could hug him.

In lieu of answering verbally, Keith gathered him into his arms. They sat in silence holding each other, or rather as well as humanly possible to hold someone in a sitting position. The semi-awkward position made Lance giggle and they pulled apart. He rubbed at his eyes with his sleeve and saw Keith watching him.

"Happy birthday," Keith's smile was smaller, but it still held as much content and happiness.

"Thanks. You're smiling a lot," Lance replied before he added, "it's a bit weird," to rile things up.

"Hey!" Keith playfully shoved Lance. "I'm happy, let me smile. Even if it does hurt my jaw…" Keith looked so curious Lance was mortified. Did Keith really smile so rarely that it hurt to do so for sections at a time? Keith then broke out in laughter and Lance received his answer.

"Jerk," he rolled his eyes. "What are you so happy about anyways? It's _my_ birthday."

"That doesn't mean I can't be happy. Besides, seeing you happy makes me happy."

"Wow, so sappy. Never thought you'd be the type." Lance was joking but deep down he liked the cheesiness. "Before we do anything else, I have two things for you."

"For me? It isn't my birthday." Lance found the look of confusion to be a good one on Keith.

Lance chose not to respond and opened up his bag. Carefully, he pulled out a lunchbox and after opening the lid, was met with the chocolate cake with blue icing he packed before he left the house. Keith relaxed, but uncertainty still lingered so Lance decided to explain the significance.

"Do you remember, when we were in year one, the day it was my seventh birthday?" Lance then realised he sounded as if his birthday was the most important thing to have happened that day and rushed to apologise. "God, I didn't mean it like that, your parents… I'm sorry." Lance hung his head in embarrassment.

"Hey, it's okay. But um, no, I don't really remember anything from that day, or for almost a week after to be honest…" Keith rubbed at his head as if he found it strange. He recovered not long after and asked a question. "I'm assuming the cake has some kind of significance?"

"Yeah," Lance laughed awkwardly, hoping his little act held as much meaning as he thought it did, "this is actually the cake I brought to school that day on my seventh birthday. Not the actual same cake of course, that'd be sorta gross; it's the same type. I was actually pretty upset that you left before you could have a piece and always told myself if I ever met you again that I would give you cake. I also didn't want to receive a present from you and not give anything back in case your birthday had already passed so… here you go. Have some cake that's ten years overdue." Whilst speaking Lance had taken out two pieces of cake, put them on paper plates and handed one with a fork to Keith.

"My birthday hasn't happened yet, but wow, sweet. I love me some cake that I missed ten years ago." Keith winked and Lance felt like his heated face was going to melt him away.

Lance began to eat his own piece of cake, periodically looking at Keith. He looked tranquil, at peace, and _very_ beautiful. He was also eating slowly, as if wanting to savour every bite of cake. Lance found the gesture adorable and also touching. That was the moment he decided regardless of how they met, regardless of what had happened and what will happen, he wanted Keith to be a part of his life for a long time.

"I mean it though, you know?" Lance spoke on a whim.

"Mean what? About the cake being overdue? It's not my fault my parents died." Keith said it casually, waving his fork in the air which left Lance shocked. He felt awkward at how easily Keith talked about his parents' death. Keith noticed Lance's discomfort and reassured him it was nothing to worry about. "You don't have to tiptoe around it you know, my parents' death. I'm okay with it. Well, not _okay_ with it like I'm okay with them being gone because I'm not. It's been ten years, and I miss them more every day and there are more and more things I wish they could've been here to see. However, I've also grown and learnt how to move forward, but not necessarily move on. I like to think that they are still with me, watching over me from wherever they are."

Lance let a respectful amount of silence fall between them before replying. "I mean, I'll help you investigate what happened to your parents. Whenever you're ready and decide to do it. I know it was something we talked about before knowing each other as 'Keith' and 'Lance' but I still stand by my words."

"Oh," it was Keith's turn to be bashful. He looked away from Lance and down at his plate, stabbing the cake with his fork but not eating it. "You don't have to."

Lance gave his brightest smile showing teeth as he replied "of course I do, I promised."

As Keith looked up and met Lance's eyes, a tear trickled down his cheek. Immediately Lance reached out his hand to wipe it away. He kept his hand there as he put his plate down and used that now-free hand to take away Keith's as well. After that was done, he used both hands to cup Keith's face and poured out all the emotions he had gazing into Keith's eyes. When it seemed like Keith understood, he pulled him into a hug. There, Keith leaned his forehead against Lance's shoulder and, revelling in the moment, Lance nearly missed the two words Keith had almost whispered.

"Thank you."

* * *

With Lance's birthday month having gone past, it was now October, otherwise known as Halloween season. It was also usually the time where Lance started to prepare for his costume, despite Halloween being the last day of the month. Sometimes he had to start early because he coordinated costumes with Hunk and Pidge, and quite a lot of planning was required for more intricate costumes. This year, however, his two friends developed an "I'm too old for this" attitude towards the day and did not want to dress up unless Lance thought of something mind-blowing. Although it hurt Lance, he knew he had to respect their choices, knowing they'd do the same for him. His friends not dressing up didn't stop him from wanting to do so, it was just a lot harder to come up with ideas.

Lance was hanging out with Keith again, except he was laying on the latter's bed while the other finished off some homework. He was staring up at the ceiling thinking about costumes, and realised he hadn't asked Keith for ideas.

"Hey Keith, what are you dressing up as for Halloween?" Keith, who had been happily typing away at his computer suddenly stopped. The pause lingered there for a second before the sounds of keys clicking filled the room again, followed by Keith's voice.

"I—uh, I'm not? I don't do that, never really have."

Lance shot up from the bed and scrambled to sit on the edge, gaping at Keith. Unfortunately, he had gotten up too quickly and as the light-headedness set in he hunched over, scrunching his eyes shut from the discomfort. Seeing this, Keith got out of his chair and crouched on the ground in front of Lance, making sure he was okay. When he was, he voiced his shock.

"No way! Never? Well it's never too late to start, am I right?" Lance wiggled his eyebrows, earning an eye roll from Keith as he moved to sit on the bed.

"Yeah, never. Isn't trick-or-treating for little kids anyway?"

"You take that back mister," Lance retorted, jabbing his finger into Keith's chest with every word. "It is never too old to dress up and ask strangers for candy. I do it all the time with Hunk and Pidge. Or well, I did. They don't want to coordinate and dress up unless I come up with something absolutely amazing, which probably won't happen so I'm on my own this year. Can you help me think of something?" Looking at Keith and thinking over what he had said, a bright idea popped into Lance's mind. "What if we coordinated?! It was so good every time I did it with Hunk and Pidge. You can dress up with me and I'll teach you the Halloween culture, which isn't just trick-or-treating by the way, sometimes it's parties and Halloween themed theme parks. It'll be great."

It took Keith a while to reply as he was thoroughly thinking through different ideas but when he did, Lance was blown away.

"We could, um, go as paladins? It doesn't just have to be just us two either, Pidge and Hunk can join in too. Even Shiro and Matt if they feel up to it." Keith turned his face away after, and Lance saw that he was trying to hide his blush.

"Keith," Lance took his hands to make sure he faced him, "you are a genius. This is the best idea anyone in the universe could come up with, thank you so, so much for bringing my idea to life over and over again. You really don't know how much it means to me, and how much you mean to me too." Lance gave a little squeal, unable to contain his excitement, "this has me so excited, what colours are we going to be? What colour do you want? You have first pick, since it's your brilliant idea."

Once again, Keith put serious thought into it and didn't reply right away. His blush came back full force before he even uttered a word out and he seemed very bashful.

"You know that thing, that trend where in a relationship someone is blue and the other is red? I think it's mainly cartoons and anime but everyone always says the red and blue characters are a couple, so I thought we could do that. Maybe, if you want. I—Do you want to be my boyfriend?" Lance was so absorbed by Keith's thought process he thought he misheard Keith's last question.

"What?"

"Do you, Lance," Keith was turning more hesitant by the second, "want to be my boyfriend?"

Lance, still not believing he was hearing right and being very surprised, had to clarify one more time. "Did you just ask me out by organising our Halloween costumes?"

"Yes?" This time Keith sounded confused too, as if he was unsure of what he had asked.

"Yes." Lance nodded.

"So you'll be my boyfriend?" This time it was Keith needing confirmation.

"God," Lance rubbed a hand down his face before staring Keith dead in the eye, "I'd be anything you asked me to be, Keith."

It took Keith a moment to register the words, and then he gave Lance a very sincere smile. "May I kiss you?"

Lance nodded, closed his eyes and leaned in but right before they made contact he pulled back. "Wait but how would we even get paladin costumes? Make them? I don't think that'd be easy."

"It's okay, it's okay, I know someone," Keith waved his hand through half-lidded eyes to dismiss the question, wanting to get to his own. "Can we get to all that later? Right now I'd like less talking and more kissing."

Lance laughed but complied, pushing Keith back so he was laying on the bed before moving his hands to either side of Keith's head and finally letting their lips meet.

* * *

Lance never thought his first proper partner would be someone he met by chance, but he always was one for the crazy things. He stood in his blue paladin uniform beside Hunk in his yellow and Pidge in their green. He watched as Keith approached, dressed in his own red uniform and smiled. Keith noticed, smirked, and proceeded to put a spring in his step that he knew would rile Lance up. _Finally_ Keith had come close enough for Lance to take his hand; although he moreso snatched it, doing it in one quick movement, it didn't matter—Keith's little giggle did. Only after Lance kissed the stupid smirk off Keith's face and only after Pidge yelled at them to get a room did Keith actually greet him.

"Hey, stranger."

* * *

 **A/N: mmm idrk what to say lol. I'm very, very sorry for the lateness and hope this chapter was okay. it's the longest I've ever written (I'm quite proud tbh). so, why was it so late? aside from lack of motivation and finding it hard to pick it up where I left it (sometimes in the middle of sections, cause I do that) I had exams and dance concerts in the same week and it was pretty stressful. it's been three weeks since that and I've been on holidays since last week so that gave me a LOT more free time but some of those days I just did nothing lmao**

 **so, this fic might have a sequel! originally (when I was ambitious) I had planned this fic a bit differently, but chose to separate it because it didn't fit with the theme/tone I wanted. with all that, I must say I cannot guarantee a sequel, it'll depend if I can flesh out a proper plan and when I'd be motivated to write it out. it could well be done these holidays, or may end up being next year. or in two years, or never. basically don't count on it (sorry!)**

 **if you made it this far, thank you so so so much for reading my fic and, well, making it this far! I thoroughly hoped you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. leave a review, only if you want, but it'd be greatly appreciated :)**

 **lastly, hit me up at tumblr ( fandomtravellers) if you want!**

 **it can be to ask a question, or even to just talk - I'm down to make new friends**

 **once again, thankyou!**


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